More than eight decades after the end of World War II, a German submarine sitting on the seabed off Norway has become the centre of a very modern environmental dilemma.The submarine is U-864, a German Type IXD2 U-boat that sank in February 1945 near the Norwegian island of Fedje. It was carrying a secret cargo intended for Japan, including what could have been as much as 67 tonnes of liquid mercury.
Today, the wreck lies roughly 150 metres below the surface. Its cargo has not disappeared with time. Mercury does not break down, and Norwegian authorities have found elevated concentrations of the toxic metal in sediment around the wreck. The problem became even more complicated in 2026. An underwater operation succeeded in reaching parts of the submarine and recovering mercury containers, but the work also released some mercury into the surrounding environment.
